Spells and Sensibility
by Call It Hope
Summary: Just in time for the Tri-wizard Tournament, three girls from a rather different time period transfer to Hogwarts. Set in the Potter-universe, but with familiar characters from two treasured Jane Austen novels. Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet, and Margaret Dashwood take on the magic and romance of Hogwarts. Reviews very much appreciated! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

George's Point of View

"Aren't you guys getting a little tired of the girls here?" Oliver sighed as we watched Katie, Angelina, and Alicia pass the quaffle back and forth across the field. I eyed him suspiciously, a half-grin playing on my lips.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Katie pointedly refuses to go out with you, would it, even though you're currently a _celebrated_ member of Puddlemere United?" I asked him.

" _No_!"

Fred and I laughed, shaking our heads in disparagement of Oliver's desperation. Ron spoke up from the other side of Oliver.

"He's got a point, though, George—you have to admit that."

"What? Has ickle Ronnykins been having quarrels with his little girlfriend?" Fred demanded, tossing his ink-filled quill at our little brother. Ron scowled after ducking the quill.

"You know as well as I do that I have no girlfriend."

"Aw…poor ickle Ronnykins! No one will have him!" Fred sang. I grinned.

"Fred, stop acting like you have any advantage over him—your bachelorhood is practically sealed for good."

Fred wiped an imaginary tear away from his eye.

"Too true, dear Georgie—it cuts me to say so!"

"Said the ardent sixteen-year-old," Oliver said wryly, not taking his eyes off of Katie as she flew across the pitch.

"So, did you have anything in mind when you suggested that we might be tired of the girls here? I'm pretty sure that importing new ones is just a tiny bit illegal," I commented with a smile. Oliver shot me a dark look.

"Very funny, George. I just thought that maybe we could…I dunno. Ask the Headmaster to increase the number of transfer students we get from other schools?"

"If you mean more Beauxbatons students, please count me out!" Harry groaned from his position in front of us.

"What—still not healed from your past experiences?"

"Yeah, Harry—can't you forget that wicked party animal you hung out with for _four months_?"

"She was cute—I'll give him that!"

"Oi, all of you just shut up," Harry sighed.

We did, for a few minutes—mostly because the girls were beginning to wrap up their practice time, and none of us fancied them hearing this conversation.

Alicia landed first, flashing a brilliant smile at me.

"How did I do?" she laughed brightly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Fred gave me The Eye, which let me know that tonight would be full of teasing in the dorm about how a certain female Gryffindor chaser was falling for the irreplaceable Gryffindor beater. Luckily, Oliver saved me from answering.

"Pretty good. I think you guys have a fair chance against Slytherin this year if you girls keep up this style of play. Katie—you were especially good tonight."

"Shove it, Olly. I don't like you that way," Katie replied tersely. Oliver held up his hands in defense, and practice ended soon after that.

"Are you guys going to dinner?" Angelina asked, taking Fred's arm and putting her head on his shoulder. Oh, you better believe that I gave him The Eye—with an intensity that would be equal to ten of his Eyes.

"Uh, actually…no…Sorry."

"Aw, Freddie, you promised you'd teach me how to cause explosions that everyone would think were caused by Seamus!"

"Oh, c'mon, Ange. He can teach you that later," Katie said coaxingly, sending a shy smile to Fred, who smiled at her under knitted eyebrows. Phew! Fred had two ladies after him. It was a Weasley record.

"What about you, George?" Alicia asked. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and saw that she was rather worried.

"I would love to, but I have no idea what Fred's planning to do, so I _think_ it would probably be wiser to stick close to him—just in case the joke would have been on me."

"That's a good plan—mind if I copy it?" Ron asked with true anxiety. Fred sniffed.

"I cannot believe that my own family holds me in such contempt! As if I was in the habit of causing trouble!"

We all laughed at that, and the two groups parted ways at the doors of the Great Hall. Fred, Ron, and I would catch some chow in the kitchens, courtesy of the house elves. Dealing with their obsequious manners was a small price to pay for escaping the advances of Alicia and Angelina. Katie was harmless enough, but it was awkward knowing that Oliver liked the girl who was hitting on your twin.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry's Point of View

"May I have your attention, please?" Dumbledore bellowed over the inane chatter of the Hall. We all glanced up at him, and he smiled.

"Good evening. Forgive me for interrupting your feast, but I have an announcement. We have a few new students who have arrived unexpectedly, and I thought it would be nice to introduce them to you rather than have them flounder around the social scene for a few months before anyone knows their names. Professor McGonagall, would you please bring the hat—and the girls—to the front?"

I elbowed Oliver in the stomach.

"You might get your wish after all," I muttered to him. He grinned at me, but I noticed that the three girls on the other side of him were looking rather worried. McGonagall strode towards the front of the hall, hat in hand and girls trailing behind her. These girls were odd. All of them were pulling down on their skirts—which were already to their knees, and they all wore their hair up in rather fancy buns for a measly Hogwarts dinner. But God almighty, if they weren't all a sight for sore eyes. Well, one was a bit plain, but the other two were significant improvements on the girls who already presided at Hogwarts.

"Katherine Bennet!" McGonagall called first.

"She looks nice," Hermione whispered to me, glancing towards the front, where a petite girl with pale, rather plain face sat. The girl saw me looking at her and smiled. There, she was not as plain as I had first thought. I smiled, too. The Sorting Hat a while to decide, but finally, he pronounced her,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The girl hurried from the front of the room towards Gryffindor as we politely applauded her. She came to where Hermione and I were sitting.

"Would I be imposing on you two terribly if I sat next to you?" she asked, eyeing the seat next to me that Ron usually occupied. Hermione smiled at her.

"Not at all, Katherine!" she replied—and then sent me one of her iron looks, as if I wasn't already scooting over to give the girl some room.

"It's Kitty, actually. My family calls me Kitty," Kitty said as she sat down. She smiled at both Hermione and me in turn. "To be honest, I came over here because both of you smiled at me when I was up there."

"Well then, we're going to be friends," Hermione said stoutly, "because I was hoping you would come over here as soon as you smiled back."

Kitty laughed, and Hermione continued talking with,

"I'm Hermione, and this is Harry."

Kitty grinned.

"How do you do?"

"Shh!" some people up the table said. Kitty rolled her eyes before turning back to the front.

"Georgiana Darcy!" McGonagall called.

Georgiana Darcy, a fully-formed, blonde girl whose cheeks were pale with fear was being sorted. She was actually quite beautiful, and I had a feeling that most of the boys immediately felt protective of her. Her nose, a piquant little protrusion, twitched as she stared out at the crowd that faced her. Even the hat lowered its brim to where it covered her ears as though embracing her in its fabric.

"RAVENCLAW!"

She hurried to the Ravenclaw table, her head down and her arms crossed over her torso as if she was going to throw up. I saw Terry Boot scoot close to her and whisper what he probably thought was a clever pick-up line. She didn't even look at him.

"Poor girl," Hermione murmured to Kitty, who nodded enthusiastically.

"She is the sweetest girl imaginable—her brother is my brother-in-law," Kitty told us.

"Margaret Dashwood!"

Margaret Dashwood marched straight up to the stool and pulled the Sorting Hat onto her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat said almost immediately.


	3. Chapter 3

Margaret's Point of View

The red and gold table began to cheer, so I walked over to them. I saw one of the girls from the "train", so I went to sit next to her. Kitty, I believe her name was.

"Excuse me, may I sit next to you?" I asked, trying not to sound quite as cheerful as I felt for fear of scaring her. This was a much better place than Devonshire—whatever devilry brought us here, I would be eternally grateful for. Kitty nodded and smiled.

"Oh, of course. Miss Margaret, isn't it?"

"You can call me Margaret, if you like," I offered with a huge smile. Her smile grew, and she was about to say something else when a voice beside her asked,

"Can I call you Margaret, too, then?"

I glanced at the man beside whom I had sat without hardly realizing it and inadvertently smiled.

"If you would like," I said, taking in his closely-cropped, light brown hair and dark brown eyes with crinkles around them—well, they were there when he smiled.

"I'm Oliver. Oliver Wood, Hogwarts Quidditch coach," he said, holding his hand out for a shake. I took it without even thinking.

"Margaret. Margaret Dashwood, explorer extraordinaire."

He grinned.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too. What exactly is—"

"Let the feast…begin!"

Kitty shrieked when the food appeared before her, but I was able to keep my head. This…magic, though surprising, was not frightening. Rather, it was delightful.

"Alright, _finally_ , what were you going to ask me?" Oliver laughed, turning to me. I smiled, and I felt my cheeks flush—undoubtedly with the heat from the food.

"What is Quidditch?"

He spat out the piece of chicken which he had stuffed into his face (using his hands, may I add).

"You don't know what Quidditch is?"

I shook my head.

"It's—oh, my Lord, it's the best sport in the world!"

"Oh, like shooting or fishing?" I asked curiously.

"Wha—no, it's more like…well, my Muggle friends tell me that it's like soccer."

" _Soccer_?"

"Yeah—where _are_ you from?"

"England! Never left it a day in my life—despite all my wishes…"

"But soccer is the most popular sport in England! How can you not know it?"

I flushed.

"I'm sorry. I simply have never heard of it."

He peered around me at Kitty.

"Can you believe this? Maggie here has never heard of soccer! Or Quidditch!"

But Kitty looked as puzzled as I did.

"I'm sorry—I've never heard of those things either," she confessed with a smile. Oliver stared at us.

"Who _are_ you?" he asked finally. I laughed.

"Hello, my name is Margaret Dashwood, and I—"

"Oi, don't be a little smart ass!" he laughed, putting his arm around my shoulders. My cheeks flushed. How was this permissible in this strange world?!

"That man—Dumbledore—he told us something about…accidental time-travel?" Kitty said slowly, staring at Oliver's arm in an almost envious way. Oliver noticed her stare and removed his arm. My shoulders felt too light without it—I liked the way it weighed them down.

"Time travel, eh? Sounds serious. So…you guys are from the past?"

"Something like that," Kitty acknowledged.


	4. Chapter 4

George's Point of View

"Are you telling me that all three of the Weasley brothers—the three _top_ contenders for these lovely ladies' hands—missed their arrival?!" I demanded, striding alongside Oliver Wood as we headed towards the Great Hall. He nodded.

"Those poor, innocent females…" I murmured. He laughed.

"They lived. I'm already in pretty tight with one of them. Maggie—well, her name's actually Margaret, but I'm calling her Maggie."

"Ooh, nicknames, Oliver? Sounds serious…"

He rolled his eyes, but his cheeks flushed a little bit.

"She's Ginny's age, George. Don't be ridiculous. But she is very, very beautiful," he admitted with a smile. I waggled my eyebrows and winked at him as we entered the Great Hall. He slipped away to talk to Dumbledore about something, and as I watched him go, I ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed as I helped a tall, blonde girl who was blushing uncontrollably just at the touch of my hand. She was…wow. Her eyes were of the deepest cerulean, and her lips—even in their frown-like state—had a softness in every curve. As for the rest of her—damn.

"Forgive me, I—"

"You must be Margaret!" I exclaimed, seeing beauty work its way across every feature and thinking that if Oliver had not been speaking of this girl, he was most certainly blind. Her cheeks reddened still more, and she shook her head, her eyebrows pulled down in confusion.

"You are mistaken, sir. I am Georgiana Darcy," she mumbled, her head cast down, and her hands fiddling with the hem of her skirt as though it was too short for her liking. I grinned. I don't think anyone had ever called me sir before.

"Wicked—my name's George Weasley! Are you one of the new girls?"

She nodded, and in a fit of apparent courage, she looked me straight in the eye. I smiled at her. To my delighted surprise, she smiled back.

"Ravenclaw?"

"Yes. You are in…" She glanced over my robes. "Gryffindor?"

"Yeah! So, uh, how old are you?"

Though she was staring straight at my chest, she still gave a small smile at that.

"I am but sixteen."

"Hey! Me, too! So we'll be in the same classes, I bet!"

"You may be right," she laughed gently, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. I grinned.

"Well, I'll see you later, Georgie—can't wait to see you in class! Maybe we could hang out later?"

"I—uh, I suppose so?"

I winked at her and grinned.

"Awesome—we'll have so much fun!"

Georgiana's Point of View

"Miss Darcy, would you please come to the front?" Professor Snape purred as he saw me enter the room. Oh, dear. Why could he not simply come back here? I knew I would blush, and people would laugh at me. And surely, these skirts were indecent. If Fitzwilliam saw me now, he would faint with shock.

I made my way to the front of the room, where the tall, black-haired professor awaited me.

"Miss Darcy, I do not expect you to excel at this course," he said—loud enough for the whole class to hear. My whole head burned with embarrassment. "You will know nothing. Your grades will undoubtedly reflect that. I have thus decided to partner you with one of my only other failing students."

"Hey, Snivvy—that's unfair, and you know it! For all you know, she could be the next big thing in Potions!" a voice called from the back.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley. How fitting for you to stick up for her—she is your new Potions partner."

A few snickers were heard from the side of the room where students in robes with silver and green trim sat. But Mr. Weasley laughed.

"Joke's on you, Snivvy!" he said enigmatically. Professor Snape smirked.

"Perhaps. Miss Darcy, if you would please join him and stop standing up here as stupidly still as a troll…"

I blushed again. How unkind this man was! I tried not to be too sensible of it. Doubtless, when he saw how hard I was willing to work, he would change his manner towards me.

"Hey, again," Mr. Weasley said, elbowing me slightly as I sat in the chair next to him. I smiled at him. After all, he had just shown himself ready to be publicly humiliated for my sake—I had to show him at least some of my gratitude. Even if he was sometimes rather coarse and almost eternally jovial, I treasured the one friendship I had at this place.

"Today, we will begin the lesson with a brief demonstration of your skills. Amortentia—reckoned to be the most difficult potion to brew since the recipe for Eternal Life was lost. Go to it."

"The ingredients are in that cabinet over there," George said as he pulled down strange-looking supplies from the shelves behind us. I hurried to the cabinet he had indicated and pulled out all the jars with labels corresponding to our ingredient list.

"Good girl," he said approvingly when I showed him what I had gathered. I was thrilled that I had done something right, and I began to pour in the ingredients to our cauldron.

"Hey, whoa—what are you doing? There are instructions, you know!" George said, pulling my hand away from the brim. When our hands touched, I felt that same zing I had felt with Wickham. My heart caught in my throat, and I thought I was going to be sick.

"Hey—you alright?"

I nodded, but tears began forming in my eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey…" George murmured, taking my hand in his. I ripped it out of his grasp and leaned over the cauldron, breathing heavily. My tears fell into the already-bubbling mixture.

"Professor?" George called. I shook my head. This was the last thing for which I would have wished. I wished to prove myself—not to prove their assumptions.

"Mr. Weasley? You—" Professor Snape cut himself off when he saw our potion, which had ceased its bubbling and turned into a rosy, misty pool of still liquid. He glanced up at me, and I stared back, horrified with the thought that he would throw me out of his class for ignorance.

"Where did you learn to do this, Miss Darcy?"

"I—I just…"

"She just went at it. It seemed like a second nature with her," George said, seeing that I had no idea what to answer. Professor Snape sniffed at the potion, and his eyebrows raised haughtily.

"Congratulations, Miss Darcy. You have just secured yourself an O for today."

I offered him a shy smile, and as he walked away, George threw his arms around me.

"Georgiana, that's _awesome_! No one gets Os in Snape's class!"

He must have noticed how I stiffened, so he let go of me rather quickly.

"Sorry. Just—Just excited."

I smiled at him, barely raising my eyes to his mouth.

"There is no need for apology. This is all new to me—where I come from, there are different rules concerning the behavior of men and women. But I will attempt to adapt myself to your ways."

We smiled at each other, and even though I couldn't bring myself to push my eyes further than his mouth, I found myself imagining the crinkles around his eyes that I liked so well—which would almost certainly be shown when he smiled.

"What does this potion do?" I asked hastily, for fear that he may have read some of the admiration I had for him in my features. He leaned against the table and grinned.

"Miss Georgiana Darcy, you have just brewed the most powerful love potion imaginable."

"L-love potion?" Perhaps someone had put some of that into my breakfast this morning and that would be why I was so flustered. Oh, for heaven's sakes—I was always flustered.

"Mm. Sniff it."

"Pardon?"

"Smell it. Go on."

I leaned over the cauldron and wafted some of the fumes from the pot towards me. I smelled the smoke of a good fire, newly-printed pages of music, and…what was that smell? I simply couldn't place it. It was a warm smell—almost like that of the smoke, but softer than that. It also had a hint of mint? Or perhaps another herb? I wasn't sure.

"Well?" George asked expectantly.

"Well, I can make out the smell of a good fire, and newly-printed pages of music, but there is a smell that is baffling me," I confessed in a low voice. He smiled and sniffed at the potion himself.

"Whipped cream, smoke—from explosions, and vanilla, I believe. And there's a flowery smell."

"Perhaps you smell my scent? It's a rose essence—there is a bit of lilac in it, as well. Let me stand back so you can smell properly," I offered before I moved back slightly. He shook his head.

"No, it's still there. I don't really know the smells of different flowers, so I can't tell you what it is—sorry."

"Why do we smell it?"

"Well, you smell the things that you love most. Sometimes you get a hint of who you were fated to be with in there, but I suppose neither of us have any idea of who that is—since we don't know the key smells."

He sounded apologetic—nay, almost dejected, so I put my hand on his arm.

"That's fine, Mr. Weasley. I have no wish to see the future," I assured him softly. He grinned at me.

"Then you'll hate Divination. By the way, please call me George. One of our more _modern_ rules for behavior is that you call people that are your age by their first names."

"Oh…that is very odd," I said, furrowing my brow. Then, I smiled slightly. "But I am glad to have a friend…George."

He grinned at me, and I blushed. This gentleman—for such I could tell that he was—was charming and funny and…I was having trouble staying at an arm's length from him.

"C'mon, Ravenclaw—let me take you to lunch."


	5. Chapter 5

Kitty's Point of View

"Fred! Would you please be so good as to take your hands from my eyes?" I laughed, crossing my arms over my chest. Fred Weasley and I had become fast friends. From the first moment, he had made me laugh, and I had soon after confided in him, concerning my admiration for a certain black-haired wizard.

"Never!" But he did, and he came around to face me, his brown eyes twinkling. "Harry's looking at you again."

I flushed with pleasure.

"Oh, hush—is he really?" I whispered back. He grinned.

"With a fiery, jealous twinkle in his eye. Danger for Fred Weasley in future days!"

We laughed, and he took one of my hands. How much better this was than Longbourne! Or even Pemberley! Hogwarts was the best thing I had yet experienced.

"Kitty, tell me more about your friend, Georgiana," Fred said suddenly. I raised my eyebrows.

" _You_ like Georgiana?!"

"Don't be ridiculous—I haven't even met her. But George had Potions with her this morning."

"And he…?"

"Thinks she's the best thing since magic."

I clapped my hands together and twirled around.

"Oh, famous! She's the sweetest creature imaginable! But I must say I'm surprised at his preference—she isn't like him at all."

"Well, that's George's type. He prefers the quiet ones, y'know. For me, well, I'd rather have someone who was more like me, eh?"

" _Angelina_? Or _Katie_?" I teased him, poking his chest with my index finger. He groaned.

"Please, don't! I can't stand them anymore!"

" _Fre-ed_!" a voice called from the girls' dormitory. He grabbed my arm.

"It's Ange— _RUN_."

We took off for the Great Hall. I felt so free, so uninhibited—I never wanted to go back home.

"I won!" Fred yelled as he passed through the doors of the Great Hall. I laughed out loud.

"I didn't realize that it was a race!"

"Too bad, so sad— _loser_!" he sang, poking me in the nose. I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the supper table, where we sat down and waited for Dumbledore to announce the feast.

"Just curious, why do you think that Kitty is a better name than Katherine?" Fred asked me. I scowled.

"If you knew the story, you wouldn't ask…"

"Okay, but I don't know the story, so…"

"My great-aunt Katherine owned a house of ill-repute. I was named after her before anyone knew about it, and now I can't stand the name."

"Your aunt owned a _whorehouse_?!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyebrows.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no, I just… _wow_. Well, I don't really like the name Kitty. How do you feel about Kat?"

My anger melted away.

"Only for you," I told him, patting his cheek. Suddenly, our attention was called up front, where Professor Dumbledore was saying,

"And now, the lovely ladies from Beauxbatons!"

About seventy absolutely ravishing girls ran through the doors, bestowing smiles and blowing kisses as they went. My heart piqued with envy as I noticed Harry staring at them with unrestrained admiration.

"Kat—don't worry about them, eh? You're worth a ton of half-Veelas," Fred muttered to me, patting my shoulder. I smiled at him and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Freddie."

"Not a—"

"And now," Dumbledore bellowed, "the proud sons of Durmstrang!"

The overall temperature of the room rose several degrees as around eighty young men in wool and furs strode forward, pounding staffs on the floor. One of them winked at me, and I felt myself blushing despite the fact that I had no admiration for him after having beheld Mr. Potter.

"Ay yi yi, methinks my little Kitty Kat is losing her heart to a Bulgarian prince…" Fred suggested with a laugh. I shook my head.

"No, no—don't be ridiculous."

Then Dumbledore went on to explain that Hogwarts was hosting a "Tri-wizard Tournament." Blah, blah, blah—I was staring at Harry the whole time. He was staring at Dumbledore. For the first time in my life, I wished I was that old man.


	6. Chapter 6

Oliver's Point of View

I wished that I could sit at the Gryffindor table again, but after I had the last time, McGonagall had taken me aside and told me that since I wasn't a student anymore, I couldn't show any _decided_ partiality towards a particular house. Even though my room was in Gryffindor Tower. Even though my friends were basically all Gryffindors. Even though it was I who had led Gryffindor to glory last year in the tournament. And then Dumbledore just goes and announces that Quidditch is canceled because of some silly "Tri-Wizard Tournament"? How can that possibly be acceptable? Puddlemere wouldn't start practices with me until next year—what else was I supposed to do in the interim?

"I can't believe me bloody luck!" I cursed as soon as I was outside the Great Hall.

"Oliver?"

I turned around.

There she was.

Lord, she was pretty. Those lovely little copper ringlets...those massive, grey eyes… Oliver, she's _thirteen_ , for Christ's sake. Leave her be.

"Hey, Maggie."

"I'm sorry about Quidditch."

"Me, too. Looks like I'm out of a job."

Her face fell.

"So you're leaving?"

"Don't be so hasty, Mr. Wood," Professor Dumbledore said, coming up to us. I smiled ruefully at him.

"You might have told me, Professor, when you hired me on."

"Well, Madam Hooch urged me to continue flying lessons even though she would be gone this year. How could I refuse?"

I couldn't believe it. All my hopes weren't lost!

"Then you mean I still have a job? You mean I can stay?" I demanded eagerly. He nodded, a slight smile on his lips.

"Capital!" Maggie said, clapping her hands together. I threw my arms around her in a hug.

"That's great! Maggie, you want to learn how to fly?"

I felt her nod against my shoulder, and I grabbed her hand.

"Well, come on, then!"

What did I think I was doing? This girl was as young as my best friends' little sister. Did I really think this relationship would work? And what about Katie? Did I still have feelings for—

"Oliver, where are we going?" Maggie shouted as I pulled her into the night.

"To the Quidditch pitch!" was my battle cry. It was empty when we got there, and I pulled her up beside me.

"There are brooms in there. Get two, eh?"

She went, and I watched her, curious to see whether she had the Quidditch instinct. She did.

"Two Cleansweeps—the best we have," I said with delight. She grinned, rubbing her hands on her upper arms to ward off the pervasive chill that covered the pitch.

"Can I ride it?"

I raised an eyebrow, but on the inside, I was restraining an ardent grin from leaping to my face. This girl. I had a feeling that no matter what sort of relationship happened between us, it would definitely be a friendly one. And since I was having trouble repressing the urge to bend down and kiss those chilled lips, I was sincerely hoping that it would be at least a little bit romantic.

"It takes years of experience to build up a good relationship with your broom," I warned her. She smirked.

"I'll chance it," she said, swinging her leg over the Cleansweep. Without so much as a how-de-do, she zoomed off.

"Hey!" I yelled, following suit.

The moon was high as I chased her around the pitch.

"What's wrong, Oliver? Can't you catch me?" she called over her shoulder as she went into a Wronski Feint. I laughed, almost not believing my luck in finding this girl.

Suddenly, I realized that someone was watching us. Katie waved at me from the bottom bleacher, and I nearly fell off my broom. As soon as possible, I landed and made my way over to her.

"The kid's pretty good," she remarked with a polite smile. I grinned and rubbed the back of my neck.

"She's a natural—better than anyone I've ever seen, even—"

"Yeah, I know, even me. Listen, Oliver…"

"Oliver! Why did you stop?" Maggie demanded, running over to us. When she saw Katie, she stopped in her tracks. "Oh, I'm…sorry—I didn't realize that you…were busy."

"I was just going to take Oliver up on his offer of an afternoon in Hogsmeade," Katie laughed. She extended her hand to Maggie. "I'm Katie Bell—Gryffindor chaser. You were amazing up there. Oliver tells me that you've never ridden before."

"No. No, I haven't. This was my first time, and it was perfect," Maggie said with a pleased sigh. I felt a bit awkward—having the two girls I liked having a conversation about my favorite thing.

"Look, Mags, Katie and I should probably talk alone. Maybe tomorrow evening we could soften up some of your rough edges?"

She scowled.

"Actually, Oliver, I was thinking of spending some time with Ginny Weasley. My friend. It was a pleasure to meet you, Katie."

And she walked away, her now-loose bun letting out flyaways with every step she took.

Margaret's Point of View

I trudged up to Gryffindor Tower, hardly watching where I was going.

"Margaret?" a small voice suddenly asked. I glanced to my right, where Georgiana Darcy was blushing at her own forwardness, and I allowed myself to give her a small smile.

"Hello."

"Would…would you like to come sit with me?" she asked, giving my face a searching gaze. No doubt she had noticed the tearstains on my face.

"If you wish."

She nodded, and I sat down on the bench beside her.

"I was just waiting for Mr.—I mean, George Weasley to come back from the Great Hall," she told me, blushing again.

"Oh, George is an amiable man," I assured her. As obvious as it was that I was upset, it was more obvious that she was absolutely smitten with the fellow.

"Oh, yes. He has been so kind to me. Margaret…" I braced myself for the question. "Are you alright?"

To my surprise, I broke down into tears.

"No, I'm not alright! He has an intended already, and he doesn't even know I am there, and I hate feeling so weak as to think that it matters what he thinks, and I don't want anyone to know that I like him because they would say that I was looking above my station because no one could deserve him—not even that very nice, dark-haired girl whom he is taking to some place called Hogsmeade this weekend, and I just want to go home and see Marianne and Elinor and Mama!"

Georgiana pulled me into a hug. She was sixteen and tall, so my thirteen-year-old self barely came up to her chest.

"It will all turn out right, dear. Don't worry!" she murmured in my ear, reminding me of the way my Mama always acted.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, Margaret—it will be fine. Do not waste tears on Mr. Wood—he will come around, and even if he doesn't, there are plenty of applicants for your hand. Not that you need someone in this world—as you are obviously aware."

I stared at her, and I was about to say something when someone behind us took the words right out of my mouth.

"I think that's the most that you've ever said!"

Georgiana flushed as she looked over my shoulder to see George Weasley in front of us. He sat down at our legs and smiled up at us.

"So! Who wants to play a prank—it's guaranteed to heal broken hearts, find people's tongues, and maybe even tell your destiny!" he said. Georgiana blushed again, but I was all for it.

"Sure!"

"You go on," Georgiana began to say, but I interrupted with,

"Oh, _please_ , Georgiana? For me?"

She couldn't say no, so George grabbed her hand and pulled her off of the bench, assuring her as he did so that she wouldn't regret it. She mumbled a doubting response.

"Okay, George, what are we going to do?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to remove the last signs of tears. He held a finger to his lips and beckoned us closer.

"Here's the plan: Margaret, you're going to create a distraction for Georgiana and me. Get Snape away from his room for as long as possible. Georgie and I will go in and put some of my patented invisible hair dye in anything he drinks. Got it?"

"What if he gets away from me?" I asked. George smiled at me.

"Then you need to get back here quicker than he does. I took the liberty of removing this from my very good friend Harry's room."

"You _stole_ something?" Georgiana gasped, as he put his hand in his pocket. I rolled my eyes.

"Georgiana, Harry will not care."

"Voila!" George announced, flourishing a grimy bit of parchment. Georgiana and I exchanged unimpressed glances.

"What am I going to do with that?" I demanded. He grinned.

"Ah, you think it's just a bit of parchment. Be warned: this bit of parchment is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Unless one of you lucky ladies gets to go out on a date with me. That would take the cake."

"Continue, please, George," I groaned, noticing that Georgiana was blushing furiously.

"Right-o! I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said cheerfully, pointing his wand at the paper. I took in a sharp breath when I saw the ink spread across the page, revealing a map of Hogwarts.

"Famous! I can't wait to use it!" I crowed, snatching it from him. He laughed.

"Just remember—if Snape leaves you, take the shortest path to the dungeons to warn us. Then, we'll all run."

I nodded, and off I went to coax the snake from his den.


	7. Chapter 7

George's Point of View

She and I were alone again. This was perfect, despite the fact that she could hardly pay attention to what she was doing or saying because she just couldn't take her eyes away from the door.

"Don't worry, love," I told her for the bajillionth time. She eyed me with disfavor and held her arms tightly against her torso.

"Please, Mr. Weasley, don't call me that."

I shrugged, though it pained me to hear that.

"Fine. As long as you remember to call me George."

She nodded, and I moved from Snape's refrigerator to his pantry.

"Are you sure that this won't hurt him?" she asked, adorably worried. I sprinkled some pink dye into his supply of crystallized pineapples.

"If I thought it would hurt anyone nice, I wouldn't do it," I replied. She gave a sigh of relief, and I smiled to myself. It was sweet how she didn't consider anyone, even Snape to be unkind.

"Almost—"

"George! Georgiana!" came a cry from the door. Little Miss Margaret, her strawberry blonde curls flying everywhere, ran into the room. "He's coming, and he's _right_ behind me!"

"Hide!" I urged the girls. Margaret obeyed this behest, ducking into a shadowed crevice behind a bookshelf, but Georgiana stood stock-still, evidently petrified by the thought of being in so much trouble. " _Georgiana, hide_!"

But she just stared at me, her face draining color with every second. I heard Snape's footsteps in the near distance and made a split-second decision. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a broom closet that only Filch found any use for. There was barely room for one of us, much less the two of us, and I could tell how uncomfortable Georgiana was with the arrangement.

"I thought I heard something in here…" I heard Snape mutter. Georgiana's gulp was pitifully audible.

"It's okay," I assured her, rubbing her back with my hand. She shivered and leaned her head against my chest. I pulled her closer to me. That made her look up at me. Without even thinking about what I was doing, I leaned down to press my lips against hers. Her lips automatically responded, and for a few blissful moments, we stood in Snape's extra broom closet and made out to the sounds of our professor rummaging around his room for interlopers. Then, suddenly, she placed both of her hands on my chest and shoved me away from her.

Blimey, the girl was strong! I flew backwards into a shelf of cleaning solution, which fell to the ground with a clatter. The door to our hiding place creaked open.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley. Miss Darcy. Perhaps you would be so good as to _explain yourselves_?"

Georgiana was obviously in tears, her hands covering her whole face in shame—a spectacle which made my heart ache with a desire to protect her from guilt or embarrassment.

"I—uh—tricked Georgiana into coming in here with me. I…wanted to get her alone," I muttered, hoping the Snape would believe me so she would escape punishment. He smirked.

"Mr. Weasley, I have long searched for an excuse to bring you to the Headmaster for expulsion, and I think that this might just—"

"No, Professor! No, it wasn't like that at all!" Georgiana cried out suddenly, her voice very loud and very strong. I stared at her. What was she doing? "I lost a charm off one of my bracelets early today, and George remembered seeing it at the beginning of Potions, so we came here to see if I lost it in here. We thought perhaps that it rolled into this closet, but the door became stuck behind us, and then George accidentally fell backwards into that shelf."

Snape gazed at her, his black iron eyes piercing into hers. For the first time in my short acquaintance with Georgiana, I watched as she gazed unfalteringly and unblushingly straight into someone's eyes.

"Very well. I shall postpone my plans of expulsion, Weasley. In the meantime, stay away from my room."

Georgiana and I walked out of there.

"Georgiana, that was brilliant! Thank—"

But before I could finish, she had fallen into me in a dead faint.

"Oh, Lord!"

Fred's Point of View

"Look, Georgie, I get that you dig the girl, but you don't have to get your knickers in a wad just because she fainted!" I sighed, gazing at my ridiculous brother.

"But—"

"But nothing. You heard Madam Pomfrey—she'll be out in the shake of a leg! Back in your arms to swoon many more times."

George smiled slightly, but it was obvious that he was still cut up about it.

"She was protecting me. I—Snape was going to expel me!"

I chuckled and wagged my finger at him.

"No, Snape was going to _try_ to expel you. Dumbledore would never—"

"I _kissed_ her, Freddie!"

My jaw dropped. Well. This was news.

" _What_?!"

He nodded miserably, then got up and wandered to the window. I watched him as he tried to find words to express that which he felt about the topic. His mouth moved from side to side, as though he was trying out every word that he thought of.

"I…she kissed back," he said finally. I grinned.

"Blimey, mate! That's brilliant!"

"Yeah, but then she shoved me away from her. That's…why we were caught."

The image of that feeble maiden pushing my devil-may-care brother into a broom closet shelf made me fall back onto my chair in laughter. Lee Jordan poked his head into the room.

"Either of you know a girl named Kitty Bennet?" he asked curiously. My head popped up from its lazy position on the back of my chair.

"Kitty Kat?! Yeah, why?"

"Bloody hell, that girl is a handful! You know how she's desperately in love with Harry?"

My stomach curdled. This was not what I wanted to talk about.

"Yeah?" I harrumphed. George cocked an eyebrow at me, but I shook my head, discouraging any questions for now. Lee held up a thick envelope.

"Well, she just asked me to deliver this to him."

With a loud BAM! my chair hit the floor as I rushed to him and snatched it away from him. George and Lee both stared at me.

"I'll give it to him. Don't worry about it, Lee." And with that, I smiled my most sincere smile and slammed the door in his face. I quickly locked the door and turned to George, who was reaching for his wand.

"Look, I just want to make sure that she hasn't done anything stupid!" I assured him, ripping open the envelope. He snorted.

"Yeah, sure—and I just want to _look_ at Georgiana's lips."

"Oh, please—you probably think that that would be a fine way to spend an afternoon!' I retorted. I unfolded the letter inside.

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _I think you are most wonderful. You are handsome and kind, and I can't help but wish that you would look at me. Perhaps one day. I am taking a terrible risk by sending this letter to you. My family would probably say that I had lost all sense of propriety. But I don't care. I can't bear watching you stare at Miss Chang—as though she, or anyone else for that matter, could be at all worthy of you!_

 _I am begging you to listen to my pleas for love. Respond to this letter as you will, but never forget that I will always love you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Katherine Bennet_

I stared at the letter in horror. What the hell did she think she was doing?

"What is it, Freddie?" George asked curiously. I shook my head, unable to respond with any reasonable words.

"She's gone out of her bleedin' mind!"

"Gone and written him a love letter?"

I nodded, and he shrugged.

"Well, that's not _such_ a bad idea…"

"If you were thinking of giving a love letter to your mouse—"

"Maybe we should stop talking about me," George said hastily, his neck, ears and cheeks turning red. I rolled my eyes. It was clear that he had already sent her one. "What are you going to do about Kitty?"

"Well, I obviously can't give it to him! Remember that time Ginny sent him a Valentine's poem?"

George shuddered.

"I thought I would never be able to show my face around Hogwarts again!" he chuckled. I nodded, my lips compressed into a tight line.

"This is ten times worse! She'll be the laughing stock of the whole school if he gets this!"

"You really like her, don't you?" George asked quietly.

" _Of course I do_! She's the best bloody thing that has ever happened to me!" I barked at him. We stared at each other. This had never happened before. Never quite like this. We had disagreed, but not like this.

"Sorry…I just…"

"Nah, you're cool—I shouldn't have blown up at you," I said hastily, trying to get him to stop apologizing. George had always been the less volatile between us, and he was usually the first to forgive and forget.

"You could, uh, always answer it."

I considered it. Why not?


	8. Chapter 8

Kitty's Point of View

"Are you sure you're alright, Georgiana?" I asked my friend, who was still pale from her encounter with none other than Severus Snape. She nodded, but I could see tears in her eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong," I ordered her. Georgiana smiled slightly, but she took a while to speak.

"George…he kissed me."

" _Georgiana!_ You lucky girl!" I shrieked, throwing my arms around her. She weakly patted my back, but I heard her sniffling. "What on earth is the matter?"

"Nothing! I just—can I trust you?"

"Absolutely and completely."

"Thank you. Did…Lizzy ever tell you about…Mr. Wickham?"

"Wickham? I mean, we all learned how bad he was when he seduced Lydia. Is that what you mean?"

"Sort of. I—Kitty, I was almost in Lydia's place at one time."

"You _what_?!"

Her breath shook as she drew it in, and I just stared at her, spell-bound by this new revelation.

"I almost eloped with Mr. Wickham. I thought that he loved me, and I…thought I loved him."

Everything made sense now. Why Lizzy was so protective of Georgiana, why Georgiana had been holding George at an arm's length, why she was so scared of the kismet that clearly existed between her and George.

"You think George might have the same motives as Wickham?" I guessed. She nodded, letting the tears drip down.

"I—he seems like such a gentleman! He was going to sacrifice all of this for me—I think. But what if he is not what he seems?!"

"Georgiana, why would you think that he isn't?"

"Why would he drag me into a closet and kiss me?!"

" _Georgiana_ , in this place—"

"Excuse me, aren't you Kitty Bennet?" a small voice at my elbow asked me. I glanced down to see one of the first-years gazing up at me hopefully. I smiled at him, and he grinned.

"Yes, I am."

"Then I have to give this letter to you," he said, holding out a thick envelope to me. I snatched it from him eagerly.

"Who sent it?" I demanded. He smiled.

"I'm not supposed to tell."

"Well, thank you anyway," I said, slightly disappointed. He glanced at Georgiana.

"You wouldn't happen to be…." He consulted a folded sheet of paper in front of him. "Miss Darcy?"

She nodded, shock invading her features.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Here you go, then!" he exclaimed, practically throwing the paper at her and running to join his friends.

"Ooh! Let's read yours first!" I shrieked, grabbing the sheet from her. She tried to get it back, but I didn't let her even touch it before reading the whole thing.

 _Dear Miss Darcy,_

 _I really hope you feel better soon. I'm really grateful for you helping me out. I love Hogwarts, and I'd hate to have to leave, which I would have to do if you hadn't saved me. Please forgive me for what happened in the closet. I really like you, and we were in there, and I just got carried away. Please forgive me. I promise I'll never make you do a prank again. By the way, did you know the Margaret got clean away while we were being caught? The girl's a natural at pranking. She's going to get it soon._

 _Sincerely,_

 _George Weasley_

"Ooh, Georgiana! He likes you so much! He even _apologizes_!" I crowed loudly, tossing her the paper and watching her avidly read it. Her face turned pale, then red, then finally settled on a lovely rose tint that became her very well.

"I—I can hardly believe it…N-now yours, Kitty," she stammered. I ripped open the seal and read it aloud.

 _Dear Kitty,_

 _When I got your note, I couldn't help but feel surprised. After all, I hadn't noticed you bestowing any particular favors on me. That's not to say that it didn't gratify me—because it did. It was a pleasant surprise, especially because I have begun to feel something similar for you as of late, and I was wondering exactly how to express my feelings to you. Now, before I continue, I think it would be best if we didn't speak of this outside of our letters. You can give your letters to Georgiana, who can give them to George, who will give them to me. It's not that I'm ashamed of loving you—I just want to make sure that you don't get hurt for being mine._

 _Sincerely,_

 _You-Know-Who (Not the Voldemort one, the other one)_

"Oh! Oh! Oh, he _likes_ me!"

"Who, dear?" Georgiana asked gently, prying the piece of paper from my hands and glancing over it herself. I felt my eyes positively glitter as I whispered,

" _Harry Potter_!"

"The one…the one with the scar?"

"Isn't he quite the most handsome person you have ever seen?" I demanded, spinning around and clutching the note to my chest. Georgiana's cheeks turned a bright pink.

"I…well, we have different tastes, you know, dear," Georgiana replied, raising her hands to her cheeks as though to cool them down.

"Tall red-heads with crooked smiles and soft hazel eyes?" I teased her, dancing around her and shaking my finger. Her cheeks burned brighter.

"Hey, Kitty Kat!"

I turned around just in time to see Fred, bearing down on me with his arms outstretched.

" _Fred! He likes me_!" I exclaimed, jumping into his arms. Fred spun me around, laughing.

"That's great! Hey, introduce me to your friend here."

I pouted, disappointed that he hadn't begged for details about Harry Potter liking _me_.

"This is Georgiana Darcy. Your brother knows her." That set Georgiana blushing. Fred grinned at her.

"Yeah, I know. He talks my bloody ear off about you. Apparently, you're a natural in Potions?"

Georgiana shook her head, blushing even more.

"N-no, not at all. I—You must be Mr. _Fred_ Weasley?"

"At your service. Hey, can I ask you some questions?"

"Well, I have Care of Magical Creatures in a few minutes, but you could walk down with me if you like," Georgiana offered shyly.

"Sure. I have it with you! Should be fun."

I was infuriated—they had completely forgotten me and my triumph! Weren't these two my best friends?! But before I could say anything, they had walked away from me without so much as a farewell how-do-you-do!

Georgiana's Point of View

"How do you feel about George?"

With wide eyes, I stared up at the redhead who held my arm in the crook of his.

"Pardon?"

"How do you feel about him? Do you like him? What do you think about him?"

I felt my cheeks grow red.

"I-I…he has been very kind to me."

"Is that all?"

"No. I think that he is amusing and…quite handsome." Then, I straightened myself up and stared straight at Mr. Fred Weasley. "And I am certain that he is a true gentleman."

He smiled, and I smiled back.

"He thinks you're a real sweetheart, too."

We walked down the hill towards the large cottage in silence for a few moments before I finally asked,

"Why don't you tell Kitty how you feel?"

Fred stumbled and would have tumbled down the hill if I hadn't pulled him back up.

"How did you know that?" he demanded after catching his breath. I shrugged.

"I think just the way that you looked at her."

"Oh." He seemed quite bemused. "She's just so—"

"Gather 'round!" a quite large, hairy man shouted from beside the hut. I drew in a sharp breath, but the giant just smiled at me.

"You must be Miss Darcy! I've been lookin' forward to meetin' ya! Dumbledore says that you should be quite a good student for me! Me name's Rubeus Hagrid—but just call me Hagrid."

I smiled at him and whispered,

"It's nice to meet you, too."

He beamed at me and turned to the rest of the class.

"Today, we'll be meeting a couple o' unicorns. Boys, stand back—they usually prefer girls. Just wait a mo' as I get 'em."

He turned the corner of his hut, and a polite murmur of conversation started up. Fred had stepped to the group of boys, so I was left with the girls—none of whom I knew.

"Excuse me, are you Georgiana?" a girl with quite tan skin asked me. I nodded.

"I'm Alicia. I—George Weasley asked me to look out for you. Sorry if that seems like I'm your keeper or something. He asked me to look after his little sister, too."

Her smiled seemed forced, and I couldn't help but feel a worried yearning in my heart. George trusted this girl this much?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alicia. George has been so kind to me. Have you known him for a long time?"

"Oh, the longest. Ever since we got on the train. We're kind of…" she trailed off, her smile growing broad and her expression dreamy.

"Oh, really? You're very lucky—he has been so kind to me," I said mechanically, feeling like an actress who has forgotten her lines. I saw a quick flicker of sympathy cross her face, and she was about to say something when Hagrid said,

"Alright—here they are!"

I gasped as the two pure white creatures galloped into the yard. Hagrid continued speaking,

"They'll come to the person they like most—don't try to encourage them. Just let 'em come. They like people like them—pure."

I watched in absolute astonishment as the two unicorns made their way to me. The taller one pushed his nose against my neck, and I reached up to pet him as I did with my horse at Pemberley. His almost clear eyes stared into mine, and I felt a sense of absolute loss as I thought about George and Alicia. My eyes filled with tears. The unicorn nickered softly in my ear, and I could hear Hagrid complimenting me a lot in the background. But my attention was on this creature. The smaller one was nuzzling my legs, his little nub of a horn bouncing against my knee ever so often. I ran my hand through the taller one's mane.

"You understand me, don't you?" I whispered, resting my forehead against his nose. He responded by nickering once more. Suddenly, I felt a large hand clap on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see Hagrid standing there.

"Class is dismissed, Georgiana. You were wonderful! I've never seen anyone keep their attention for so long." Then, he stared at me in shock. "You cryin'?"

I reached up to feel my cheeks and found that I was. The unicorn nosed my neck again, so I turned back to it.

"What's wrong, Georgiana?" Hagrid asked gently, talking to me as though I was one of his wild animals. I kept my eyes on the unicorn as I whispered,

"It doesn't matter, Hagrid. Really. I'm just being foolish—I…I will be alright eventually."

But he didn't leave my side.

"Ah, thar's no shame in cryin'. Why don't you come in, and I'll fix you a nice pot o' tea?"

I nodded, but I saw the unicorn shed a diamond tear as I walked away from him.

"Can I come back to visit them?" I asked Hagrid as we walked towards his hut. He nodded.

"Oh, sure! But I'll be releasin' 'em back to the Forest in a few days. But I think they'd come back to find you."

I nodded, allowing myself a small smile.

"Now," he said, after putting a kettle on the fire, "suppose you tell me what's got you so upset."

I took in a deep breath before saying softly,

"I have been quite stupid."

"So have we all—but I don't believe ya," he scoffed. I smiled slightly.

"I—When I was fifteen, I almost ran away with a man that I thought was in love with me. In the process, I nearly shamed my older brother. And…I nearly made the same mistake here. At Hogwarts."

"No! I don't believe it!"

"It's true. I…I have fallen in love with—with a boy, but someone has just told me that she already has an understanding with him."

"Aw, c'mon—I'm sure that there's some explanation. Who is he?"

I whispered George's name, hoping that Hagrid wouldn't hear.

"Aw, what are ya on about—George is as free as a bird! Thar's no harm in you lovin' him!"

"But isn't Alicia—"

"Oh. Well, I don't know 'bout that. You should ask him, Georgiana. George wouldn't hurt you by playin' ya—and I don't believe you'd fall for him if he hadn't put himself forward. Am I right?"

I nodded and took a sip of the tea from his huge teacups. Then, I put it down and stood up.

"Thank you, Hagrid. You've helped me a lot. Can I come back and see you some other time?"

He beamed at me.

"Sure! Maybe you could come see me when Hermione comes on Thursdays! You know Hermione, right?"

I shook my head.

"I have not yet had that pleasure. But I will come on Thursday, and perhaps meet her?"

He grinned.

"Perfect! You'll like Hermione—in fact, you two have something in common."

"Oh?"

"Yer both head over heels for a Weasley!"

I laughed, and before I left the hut, I walked up to him and threw my arms around him.

"Thank you, Hagrid. So much," I whispered, feeling tears come to my eyes. He patted my back before pushing me away gently.

"Aw, away with ye," he grumbled gruffly. I smiled over my shoulder at him one last time before leaving the cottage and heading up to the castle. My smile slowly disappeared as I remembered Alicia. She seemed so nice that I felt bad for stepping in between her and George, but if they were together, how could he bring himself to kiss me like that? Even in the moment, he would have remembered his intended, I'm _sure_. I found that I had no stomach for dinner, so I turned around and gazed over the grounds, looking for a peaceful place to daydream.

I found one.

The lake was a smooth mirror, reflecting my world so well. The only break in its surface was the mast of the Durmstrang ship. I went to sit by a tree whose roots dangled temptingly over the water. If this were Pemberley, I would have no scruples in jumping in. But this was Hogwarts—a public place. And I had to act properly. But, I reasoned selfishly as I stripped off my shoes and socks, there could be no shame in dipping my toes in. Just as my large toe hit the tip of the water, a voice from nearby exclaimed,

"AMAZING!"

I shrieked and grabbed for my discarded shoes and socks. But then someone grabbed my arm.

"No—no, you don't have to leave. Sorry for scaring you, I just get excited about Herbology," a young man in a blue sweater vest apologized. I stared up at him, still clutching my shoes and socks.

"Er…my name is Neville. Neville Longbottom."

He did not seem to have any ill intents, so I smiled shyly at him.

"Hello. I'm Georgiana Darcy," I murmured, subtly trying to hide my ankles among the tree roots. He smiled at me.

"Oh, the one George talks about! You helped him prank Professor Snape. You sure must be brave."

I threw down my socks and shoes and grabbed his arms.

"Please tell me, Mr. Longbottom—for I am desperate—is George in love with Alicia?"

Neville snorted.

"She'd like for him to be! But no, definitely not."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Absolutely?"

"Positively."

"Okay."

Neville grinned and sat down next to me. I smiled back. He was very nice, and I liked him the better for it.

"I think someone else is in love with George, though, eh?"

I wrapped my arms around my torso.

"Does it show?"

He laughed.

"Only when you grab people's arms and demand if he has a girlfriend!"

"Oh…I'm sorry—I didn't mean to…"

"I know. Don't worry about it."

We smiled at each other, and I was about to say something, when suddenly, a large tentacle shot out of the water and grabbed my ankles.

"AGH!" I shrieked just before it dragged me down below the surface of the water.


	9. Chapter 9

Oliver's Point of View

Part of me was ecstatic that Katie was finally willing to give me a chance, and the other part of me wished that my midnight ride with Margaret hadn't been rudely interrupted. That part of me wished that we had landed together just as the moon was at its apex, and I had found the courage to bend down and kiss her—hard. But you can't have everything.

I was looking for Margaret—more to apologize than anything else. I didn't like the way she had stomped away from the quidditch pitch last night, and I certainly didn't want her to be somewhere, crying. I had looked all over the grounds, when finally, I saw standing by the lake. Her curls, though in an attempted bun, were flying all over the place in the wind, and her skirt swayed in the wind.

"Hey, Maggie?"

She didn't turn around, so I moved closer.

"Maggie, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? No, if you were sorry, you wouldn't be here. You would be _leaving_ Hogwarts, so I would never have to see your stupid face again!"

Ouch.

I moved closer to her, resting my chin in the crook of her neck.

"Get off of me, Wood," she said sharply.

"Not 'til you accept my apology. It's sincere."

She turned around, and I saw thin red circles on her bottom eyelids. Her grey eyes were sparkling in fury, and her lips were trembling from some over whelming emotion.

She was absolutely gorgeous.

"Mr. Wood, an apology simply isn't enough! You don't understand anything! I have been an idiot, a fool, a—"

Without even thinking about it, I leaned in and pressed my lips firmly against hers. Almost immediately, she responded just as fiercely, throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me down towards her.

"OLIVER!"

We broke apart when I heard someone desperately calling my name. When I looked up, there was Neville barreling towards us.

"I need someone athletic—and quick. The Giant Squid took Georgiana down to its lair."

"Oh my Lord!" Margaret cried out, horrified.

"Where did he take her down?" I demanded, immediately stripping off my shirt in preparation to swim after her. Neville pointed down to a tree whose roots were hanging over the water, and the three of us took off for that spot.

"Hold this," I ordered Maggie, throwing her my shirt and whipping off my belt before going down to my Puddlemere United boxers. I dove in.

The Black Lake was appropriately named, but there were times when everything was perfectly visible. During one of those times, I saw the Giant Squid pulling a tall, blonde girl deeper into the lake.

"HEY!" I yelled. But only bubbles came out of my mouth.

I swam more quickly, ignoring my lungs' tug for oxygen, until finally I caught up with them. I grabbed Georgiana's hands and tore her out of the Squid's grasp. With her in tow, I swam furiously to the surface. As soon as we broke surface, I gasped out for air. Someone pulled us out of the water, and I found myself in a warm, comforting embrace as I coughed up that vile, black water.

"Shh…" someone whispered gently in my ear as her hands dried off my face. I was shivering. I hardly knew what was happening. When I opened one of my eyes, all I could see was Margaret's face peering at me with worry written across her face. I reached up one of my hands to bounce one of her curls. She smiled down at me and placed her hand on my chest. I realized that I was completely in the nip other than my boxers, and I think I blushed. She leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Don't worry, Oliver. Neville's going to get Madam Pomfrey."

"I love y…" I faded to black before I could finish saying the thought which had been foremost in my mind throughout this whole episode.

"Oliver?"

I woke up with a smile, expecting to see Margaret still huddled over me. Instead, Katie was there, smiling back at me.

"H-Hey," I gulped, trying to push myself up onto my elbows. My lungs felt like they had been crushed in, so I fell back against my pillows. "That did _not_ feel good."

Katie laughed, and I stared at her. Where was Margaret? Had Katie pushed her away? I wanted to explain to Mags and tell her what I felt for her—something I thought she might want to hear.

"Everyone is in the Great Hall—they're announcing the champions, you know."

"Oh. Oh, yeah—didn't Angelina—"

"Yeah. She was really excited about it. We…we're all really hoping that she gets it, y'know."

That was forced. I could tell by the way she knitted her eyebrows as she said it, and I felt bad for her, even though my intense passion for her was fading fast. Fred was still her number one goal.

"Hey, don't cut yourself up, Katie. He doesn't like Angelina. If it's between you and her, he'd choose you in a heartbeat."

She stared at me.

"Oliver, I thought you wanted me to—"

"I—I did. But I feel bad for Fred. I mean, look at you, love. You were just pretending to like me, and you're missing out on a ceremony to be nice to me. That's great. Fred doesn't know what he's missing."

"You like Margaret more than me."

"Don't say it in such a defeatist tone, Kate dear! You've been pushing me away for as long as I can remember!" I laughed. She smiled, too.

"Yeah. But you were always my back-up. I'd say, hey Katie Bell, if no one else likes you, at least you have Oliver kneeling at your feet."

"Girl, have you seen Roger Davies, Anthony Rickett, Cedric Diggory? They all make passes at you _daily_! Not to mention Marcus Flint."

"Hey, I have higher standards than Flint!" she giggled, leaning back in her chair. I raised my eyebrows.

"Maybe."

She punched me in the gut, and I groaned.

"Hitting a professor, Bell? Twenty points from Gryffindor!"


	10. Chapter 10

George's Point of View

"Can you believe that shit?! Harry has the _best_ luck!" I groaned as we walked back to the common room.

"GEORGE!"

I turned around to see Margaret running towards me.

"Hey, where's the fire? Ohhhh, on your _head_!" I joked, gesturing towards her reddish curls. She snorted.

"You're a fine one to talk, Weasley! But that's beside the point. Georgiana is in the hospital wing, and she's just waking up, and I wanted you to be there because I think she means something to you, and if I'm wrong I'm sorry—okay, I have to get back to make sure that she's okay. I just left for the ceremony."

"I—"

But she was gone. I turned to Fred, Angelina, and Alicia, who were all waiting expectantly for me.

"C'mon, George. She's not going to want to see anyone right now. I know I wouldn't," Alicia told me, pulling my arm. I was torn between what I wanted to do and what Georgiana might want. I wanted to go see her, make sure that she was okay—I mean, what the hell was she in the Hospital Wing for anyway?—but what if she was sort of vain, like Alicia, and wanted to conceal how "bad" she looked. As if she could ever look bad.

"C'mon, George!" Angelina and Alicia were insistent, so I went with them. Lee Jordan had somehow put together a party. Fred and I were not terribly pleased. Partying was our department, thank you very much, and we weren't too pleased with Lee overstepping our authority.

"Hey, I think I'm going to bed!" I yelled to Alicia, who had clung to my arm from the moment we'd entered the room. She laughed.

"Mind if I Slytherin?" she asked, pushing me towards the dorms. I laughed uncertainly, but luckily, she had been joking—I was alone as I walked up the stairs.

I slid my loosened tie from around my neck and strode to the window, opening it with a slight push. I could see a light on in the hospital wing, and I peered out of the window in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Georgiana. I was in luck—Pomfrey had left the curtains open at the window that revealed her bed. She didn't look that good. Her face looked kind of greyish, and she was frowning. She wiped her face with her hands, and I realized that she must be crying. I tried to wave—to make her smile. But she didn't ever look through the window. Margaret had been right. She did mean a lot to me. She meant the world to me. She was sweet and quiet and adorable and awkward, and I just…really liked her. There was a ledge out there: what the hell.

"Here goes nothing," I grunted as I hauled myself out of the window and onto the ledge that connected my window to the hospital wing windows.

"Oh… _Lord_ …" This was not as simple as I had hoped. I clung to the wall in desperation. Eventually, I made it to her window. But not without sustaining an icicle or two on my nose.

"Georgiana!" I hissed, tapping on the window, praying that she would let me in. She looked around—not at the window, mind you—and lapsed back into tears. I repeated my actions. This time, she looked straight at me, and I smiled. Her tears turned into a beaming smile, and she leapt out of bed to open the window for me.

"George! I thought you weren't going to come! I thought you were with Alicia—I mean, your intended! I didn't think you would come see me! I was so upset, and I can hardly—" she whispered hoarsely, helping me down from the window before throwing her arms around me. She tried to squeeze me in her hug, but her grasp was so weak that it felt like I was holding her up the whole time.

"Georgiana, you have to rest!"

"Margaret? What are you doing here?" I demanded. She rolled her eyes.

"I told you I was coming back here, didn't I? Doofus."

I opened my mouth to retort when Georgiana—apparently seized by some bold demon—reached up and kissed my cheek. We both turned red, and she nearly swooned from the embarrassment of her sudden actions, but I kept her up firmly in my arms.

"Help me lay back down, please," she mumbled, stumbling backwards towards her bed. I had my arm around her waist for the whole distance of the walk.

"Thank you," she gasped out as she lay back against her pillows. I think she passed out at that point.

"She's just a little bit delirious," Margaret sighed as she took a seat next to Georgiana's bed. I disregarded the seat and just sat next to my Georgie on the bed.

"What happened exactly?" I asked, taking her chilled hand in mine.

"She was having a tete-a-tete with Mr. Longbottom by the Lake when all of a sudden, a…squid, I believe? Yes, a squid grabbed her ankles and dragged her into the water."

I gaped at Margaret, who nodded.

"How on earth is she still alive?!" I demanded, ignoring my first instinct, which was to demand why on earth she was having a "tete-a-tete" with Neville.

"Oliver saved her."

I glanced over to the bed beside Georgiana's where my former Quidditch captain lay, bare-chested and sleeping. I smirked at Margaret, who was desperately trying to look anywhere _but_ there.

"Went down to nothing but knickers, I'll bet," I said, grinning when I saw the bright blush that coated her cheeks. She shrugged.

"I'm afraid I didn't notice. I was rather worried about my best friend."

"I'm your best friend?"

We both immediately looked down at Georgiana, who was gazing at us in amusement, her eyelids half-closed and her lips in a sleepy smile. Margaret tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal that Georgiana was her best friend, but after taking a few moments to master her facial expression, she gave up and smiled shyly.

"Yeah. You and Ginny. I just…I'm sorry—I know we aren't the same age, but I just—"

"No, no!" Georgiana rasped, throwing her hand out to Margaret, who took it. "I'm not mad at you! You and Kitty are my best friends—you perhaps a tad more than she, but that is only because our personalities are more compatible I believe."

"Wow," I sighed, "what am I, chopped liver?"

Her other hand was already in mine, and she squeezed my hand as hard as she could.

"No, you are…wonderful. Just…it's not the same as how I feel about Kitty and Margaret."

"Good."

We smiled warmly at each other, but then, hers faltered, and she slipped her hand out of mine.

"Thanks for coming to see me, George, but you don't have to stay," she whispered, lowering her eyes down to the blanket. I sat back, staring at her in surprise.

"I—" Hadn't she just been saying that she liked me more than a friend?

"Alicia's probably waiting for you," Margaret muttered, suddenly scowling. I looked from one to the other in confusion. Alicia? Alicia was just a friend—a friend that wanted to be something more. But who never would be. Sure, she was gorgeous, but she knew it. She knew it a little too well.

"What? I—"

"George, please no excuses."

"Excuses? I—"

"Oh, George, I _told_ you that she wouldn't want to see you!" Alicia interrupted me, sailing into the hospital wing at the worst possible moment. She beamed at Georgiana. "Kitty told me that you were feeling better, so I wanted to come bring you some butterbeer from the party."

I eyed her. Her eyes were glittering with that sheen of too much Firewhiskey. I saw it often enough. Alicia drunk really stunk. Fred and I had made that up a long time ago—around the first time that we had ever seen Alicia at a party. She had just been dumped by her boyfriend, and it was his birthday party. She got plastered and then started a shouting match with him. It was weird—every time she got drunk, she acted differently.

"Alicia, you should probably go back to the common room," I told her cautiously. Her eyes turned to me, and she laughed really loudly. Georgiana winced slightly at the unmelodic sound.

"You worry too much about me, George! And I love you for it! I… _love_ you!"

I stared at her. This was very, very awkward.

"Alicia, I don't…"

"George, you _promised_ me a kiss. You promised. I always remember your promises!"

"Alicia, that was five years ago. And if I recall correctly, you promised me that you would never take me up on the offer!"

She started crying and flung herself at me. I glanced over her shoulder at Georgiana, whose blue eyes were gazing up at me with miserable gravity.


	11. Chapter 11

Kitty's Point of View

"Great party!" Angelina called over to Fred, who was standing on the opposite side of the room from us. Fred shrugged.

"I guess."

"He's having a one-man pity party because he had nothing to do with the planning of this partay!" Angelina laughed in my ear. I laughed, too, but the smell of alcohol pervading the room was making me want to do anything but laugh.

"I think I'll just go up to my room—I have a massive headache!" I shouted back to her. She nodded and just swayed over to the middle of the room where people were dancing—her drink held high over her head.

I tried to take a straight path to my dorm, but I was blocked just about every way that I tried to get to my room.

"UGH!" I shrieked at some point. But suddenly, there was an opening to a dormitory stair. You better believe I took it as fast as I possibly could. I gasped when I saw the room—someone had positively _trashed_ it. And left the window open on the way out! How rude!

"Looking for someone?"

I screeched and spun around.

"Fred, what are you—I thought there were protections against guys going in girls' dorms," I stammered, backing towards the window. Fred grinned, and I couldn't help but smile back. He had a really contagious smile.

"You're in the guys' dorm, stupid," he snorted, shaking his head at me. I raised my eyebrows.

"That would explain the mess," I admitted. He laughed.

"Yeah. Me and George live here—what did you expect?"

"Where is George, anyway?"

"I dunno. Maybe he went to see Georgiana. To be honest, I followed you because I thought that he and Alicia might have gotten—ahem—carried away, and I didn't really want my best friend to go blind."

"'Carried away'?" I quoted him curiously. He smirked.

"I forgot—you're ridiculously naïve. I thought they might be…y'know…" He gestured towards the beds. My eyebrows jumped up to the middle of my forehead.

"B-But they aren't married!"

His lips trembled, and it was obvious that he was laughing at me. He was always laughing at my mistakes.

"Frederick Weasley, you stop that!"

"Well, how can I help it? You're just so cute!" he cooed, pinching my cheek. I slapped his hand away from my face.

"It's just still a little new to me," I muttered, crossing my arms under my chest. I felt him move closer to me.

"I bet you wouldn't mind getting carried away with a certain….Harry Potter?"

My cheeks turned a bright red.

"Frederick Gideon Weasley, you unsay that!"

"Nah uh."

I stomped my foot and strode out the door. He was utterly impossible.


	12. Chapter 12

Georgiana's Point of View

"Today, you're sitting with _friends_ , Georgie—no one really cares about where the houses sit, anyway!" Fred assured me as he and George assisted me into the Great Hall. I had just been released from the Hospital Wing, and I was still rather weak. George had his arm around my waist, a fact which did nothing for my sangfroid. In fact, my cheeks were a brilliant red—almost as red as the twins' hair.

"Hey, Georgiana!" Margaret said as Fred and George deposited me next to her. I smiled weakly at her.

"Good morning, Margaret." I paused for a moment before summoning up enough courage to say, "Margaret, I just wanted to say thank you for—"

"Oh, don't be silly—you're my friend. Don't thank me. I like being with you—in the hospital wing or otherwise."

"Aw, Freddie, aren't they cute?" George simpered, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. I laughed slightly, and he beamed at me.

"I have an idea," Fred said with a wicked grin. Oh, dear. That grin never entailed things I liked. "Let's play Truth or Dare."

"Can we play, too?"

The four of us turned to see Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Oliver, and Kitty standing behind us. Kitty slid into the seat next to Fred, not even bothering to wait for an answer. My palms started to get clammy. This was a lot of people. What was this game going to be? I wasn't good at doing things in front of people—no matter how much Lizzy encouraged me. Oh, Lizzy. I missed her so much.

"Definitely. Sit down, guys," George said. Alicia sat next to him, and I remembered her words. Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes.

"Okay, so you get a choice between truth—which in entails answering any question asked truthfully—or dare—which means that you have to do whatever the darer tells you to do."

Oh, dear. This did not sound like a good game for me. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.

"I'll go first," Fred said confidently. "Oliver, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," he replied immediately. Fred smirked.

"Hold Margaret's hand for the rest of the game."

I saw Margaret stiffen, and I cursed Fred for the poor girl's sake. How uncomfortable! She was so angry with Oliver right now. He had kissed her, then seemed to have eyes only for Katie. It was truly sad, and this was pure and simple torture.

"Don't look at him with so much hatred," George suddenly whispered in my ear, making me jump. I relaxed my face into a smile, and he smiled back. Alicia did not look happy, and my heart tore once more.

"Okay," Oliver said once he had possession of Margaret's hand, "Angie, Truth or Dare?"

"Mm…truth?"

"Who's the hottest guy at Hogwarts?"

"Uh…uh…" She bowed her head. "Fred."

"Score!" Fred exclaimed, making me give a small laugh. He could be amusing when he wanted to be.

"Kitty, Truth or Dare?"

Kitty grinned wickedly. It was strange how similar she and Fred could be sometimes.

"Dare!"

"When Harry comes down to breakfast, you have to wave him over and give him a kiss!" Angelina squealed as though she could think of nothing more sweet. Kitty blushed, but agreed to the dare.

"Georgiana." Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Oh, dear. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," I murmured unwillingly. Kitty smirked.

"How many boys have given you a kiss since you've been at Hogwarts?"

"Um…just one…" I mumbled, covering my face with my hands. I heard Angelina and Katie shriek with excitement, and I could feel Alicia's eyes on me. She must hate me. Oh, why did I have to mess everything up?!

"Margaret, Truth or Dare?" I asked hurriedly, ignoring Katie and Angelina's clamoring to know who the one boy was.

"Dare." Dear Margaret. Always so confident. Oh, dear—now I had to think of a dare. Hm…

"I dare you to wear Slytherin colors for the rest of the day," I said finally with a shrug. I saw relief pass over her face and was immensely grateful that I had said something that did not make her too uncomfortable.

"Good one," George whispered to me. I smiled shyly at him.

"Fred, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." That surprised me. I thought for sure that he would have chosen Dare.

"What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you that none of us knows about?"

Fred turned a bright tomato red, and I realized that something very seriously embarrassing had really happened to him. Oh, I wished I could save him from having to say anything.

"I, uh, I messed up pretty bad one time when I was…er…sleeping with someone."

As if on cue, my, Kitty's, and Margaret's faces all turned a bright red.

"How do you mean?" Alicia asked curiously. I suddenly felt angry. How dare she? This was obviously very personal, and I didn't think that it was fair that Fred should have to answer two questions.

Everyone turned to look at me, and I realized that I had spoken my thoughts. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.

"Oh, Alicia, I didn't—" I hurried to say, my eyes growing wide.

"Don't apologize, Georgiana," George said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "She shouldn't have been so damn nosy."

Alicia was turning scarlet, and I thought for sure that she was going to snap at me, just like Lady Catherine did sometimes when I accidentally insulted her daughter.

"Alicia, Truth or Dare?" Fred asked, sending me a small smile. Alicia tossed her hair.

"Truth."

"What is the most attractive feature on a guy?"

Her cheeks pinked.

"His bum," she said, trying not to show embarrassment. She hid it fairly well, but I was not so lucky. How could a lady stand to look at a gentleman's derriere? It all seemed so vulgar, and I was quite sure that Fitzwilliam wouldn't want me to be playing this game.

"George, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to take the girl you like most into a broom closet and snog her for five minutes."

I stared at her in horror. What _was_ this game?! George looked over at me as he opened his mouth to speak, but as soon as he saw my facial expression, he closed his mouth. I was terrified that he would choose me. I was terrified that he wouldn't.

"Uh, c'mon, then, Alicia," he said, not even looking at me. She beamed at him and gladly followed him out of the Great Hall.

"I feel tired. Margaret, would you—"

She immediately responded by helping me up and guiding me out of the Great Hall. As soon as we were out of sight of everyone, I started crying.

"I'm so sorry, Georgiana," Margaret said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry."

"You know that feeling you get when you're all alone and then you realize that it's all your fault because you're not the person that everyone in the world wants you to be?" I sobbed, almost uncontrollably. We stopped suddenly, and Margaret turned to throw her arms around me in a hug.

"I want you to be who you are. Kitty wants you to be who you are. Fred wants you to be who you are."

"But George prefers Alicia! I just wanted George to be mine! I just wanted him to love me, and I thought he did, but he just told us that he likes Alicia best, and I don't want to live anymore because I thought he loved me—he told me in all his looks and touches, and I don't understand why he doesn't love me, and I hate myself for even loving him, but I can't help it because I do, and I want him to love me, too, and OH! I want Elizabeth!" I wept, feeling immature and small but knowing that it did me good to say all of these things.

"Oh, Georgie…" Margaret sniffled, beginning to cry with me. I just stood there, my head in the crook of her neck, and my tears falling hard and fast.

"Georgiana!"

It was Kitty behind us.

"Oh, Georgiana, no! Don't cry, darling!" she exclaimed, attacking me from behind.

"Oh, Kitty!" I wailed, leaning my head back onto hers. "I don't want to see him ever again! This is Wickham all over again!"

"I'm going to murder him!" she said wrathfully. I gave a choking laugh. It was wonderful to have friends like these.

"Will you two take me back to Ravenclaw?"

"You didn't eat, Georgiana…" Margaret pointed out to me in a low voice. I stared at her blankly through my tears.

"I've lost my appetite, dear," I whispered back. They nodded and patted my back before throwing one of each of their arms around my shoulders and supporting me to my common room.

"What creature has two hearts?" the knocker demanded shrilly when I raised it. I swallowed a sob.

"George Fabian Weasley— he stole mine…"


End file.
